Sports

Hypatia in her "ready" pose, with her Tball coach.

I'm sensitive to my own failings, and I would like my children to have greater comfort in those areas than I do. But that means that I myself have to wade into areas that I'm uncomfortable in.

I find myself sitting there through swim lessons, when I am personally afraid to get in the deep water.

I'm also right there, trying to help my kids with baseball. This is a joke for me - I cannot throw or catch to save my life. I've been laughed at for this. I'm not going to volunteer to coach or assist - no way.

But I bought a mitt. I bought a mitt because the kids needed practice, and they wanted me to try with them. My pitches are impossible to hit, my throws are hard to catch, and I can't catch what they throw back at me. But I'm trying, and I'm spending the time.

It would be easy for me to stick with what I know - and that would mean dance and theater for the kids, primarily. Some choir or chorus singing. So far, Hypatia is taking ballet but doesn't LOVE it, and Carbon has only spotty occasional interest in any of that stuff.

And I have these 37 Goals for the Kids, and baseball applies to these:

#1 Have Lifelong Fitness Habits

#3 Be able to play a pick-up sports game with comfort

So it's that time of year again. Both kids are on YMCA teams - everybody plays, everybody wins. I don't think we'll ever go beyond Y Sports - that's not why we are doing it. But now is the time to get out and play catch, and learn the basics.